Question

State true or false.
i. A zygote is formed always inside the body.
ii. Zygote may represent an "overwintering stage" in the life cycle of an organism.

Answer 1

Hint: The union of the sperm cell and the egg cell is known as a zygote. It is also known as the fertilized ovum. The development of the zygote into an embryo takes place through specific recognizable stages of blastula, gastrula, and organogenesis.

Complete answer:
A zygote is a eukaryotic cell which is formed by the event of fertilisation between the two gametes. The genome of the zygote is a union of DNA and it carries all the genetics information. A zygote is a single-celled organism which can divide asexually to form similar offspring by the process of mitosis. The blastula stage of zygote formation consists of a fluid-filled cavity, the blastocoel, surrounded by a sphere or sheet of cells, also called blastomeres. Overwintering is the process by which the organisms wait to pass the winter season or pass through the winter period of the year which make their survival difficult.
In the case of zygote formation, it depends upon the type of fertilisation. If it is internal fertilisation then the zygote will form inside the body and if it is external fertilization the zygote formation will be outside the body. The zygote does not represent the overwintering stage in the life cycle of organisms. Overwintering not only represents the cold condition but also the dry conditions.
Hence, the given statements are false.

Note: The egg and sperm are haploid, which means that they have one set of chromosomes and on fertilization, they will combine their genetic material to form a diploid zygote, which consists of two sets of chromosomes. The zygote may be polyploid in plants if the fertilization takes place between meiotically unreduced gametes. The zygote is formed within the chamber known as archegonium in plants.